The present invention relates to a shielding apparatus, particularly shields used for painting and, more particularly, to a corner paint shield for glass pane windows, doors, baseboards, ceilings, etc.
Apparatus for shielding liquids, particularly paints and stains from an undesired area are known in the art. Such shields have taken the form of rolled adhesive tape and handheld devices with flexible or semi-rigid blades. The tape or blade is placed over the area that is not to receive the liquid, for exemplary purposes, paint. Once the shield is placed over the area to be protected, a paintbrush or roller may apply paint to the limits of the desired area in a not-so-careful manner such that if that the brush or roller goes beyond the desired location, excess paint will be applied to the shield and not the undesired surface.
A common application of paint in a highly visible area is on wood trim moldings around doors and windows. Accuracy on the application of paint around windows is required due to the undesirability of paint on the window screen or other window treatment. Of particular difficulty is in a corner where moldings form a 90xc2x0 or other angle. When using a brush to apply paint, the corner tends to bunch up the bristles and an excessive amount of paint is unintentionally squeezed from the brush thereby depositing an overabundance of paint in the area. This condition results in the excess paint flowing to undesired areas necessitating difficult removal of the excess.
Straight, single blade shields are often ineffective as a device as they only protect one molding forming one half of the corner angle. Use of two, single blade shields is awkward to hold in position and control as described in Canadian Patent No. 2,176,402 to Spence. Such single blade devices also suffered from a lack of structural stability, difficulty in handling and deficiencies in collecting and holding excess paint.
The prior art shields described above are problematic due to the use of designs and materials which lack strength, stability, adequate rigidity and are difficult to use.
Prior art designs are also problematic due to the inability or deficiency to collect and hold excess paint or liquid deep in the corner or angle between adjoining moldings. The paint shield disclosed in Spence includes grooves that do not extend into and through the corner allowing for excess paint to deposit and uncontrollably flow to undesired areas as described above.
Prior art shields are also problematic through use of continuous and relatively large bottom contact surfaces that cover the area to be protected. This is disadvantageous in several respects. A large contact surface area on the shield increases the probability the contact surface will be nonplanar and the shield will be skewed and thus will not lie flat and closely conform to the surface to be protected. Similarly, a large shield contact surface is also more prone to contact imperfections or obstructions in the surface to be protected which will force the shield away from the area to be covered. Additionally, and possibly most important, a large shield contact surface will distribute the force applied on the shield to the protective area thereby reducing the pressure from the critical area of the shield which is immediately adjacent and abuts the extreme edge of the surface to be painted.
These deficiencies permit, or increase the probability, that excess paint will pass by the shield to the area to be protected such as window glass.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a paint shield that improves upon or overcomes the problematic conditions in the prior art. It would also be desirable to provide a paint shield that is simple, inexpensive, easy and comfortable to use as well as being reusable an indefinite amount of times.
The present invention is a paint shield advantageously usable on a window, for example and more advantageously, in a corner of a window to protect the window glass from excess paint from a paint brush applying paint to a surrounding window trim molding.
The present invention includes at least one arm with a member attached thereto for manipulating the arm. The arm includes a top surface having at least one groove and an outer lip formed from the top surface and a bottom surface having a recess. The outer lip abuts the surface to be painted and prevents paint from seeping to the surface to be shielded from paint.
The arm of the present invention may terminate in a raised side wall at each end of the arm. The groove on a top surface of the arm extends substantially the entire length of the arm ending at the raised side walls or immediately adjacent thereto.
The outer lip may include an outer wall joining the top and bottom surfaces of the arm and may further include an outer edge formed by the outer wall and the bottom surface of the arm.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the paint shield includes first and second interconnected arms disposed at a 90xc2x0 angle having a member extending between the first and second arms for manipulating the position of the paint shield.